Perioperative experiences of anesthesia reported by children and parents

Summary Background The Sprint National Anaesthesia Project reported feedback from adults but not from children. We developed questionnaires for children and parents, and conducted a survey of perioperative anesthetic experiences in a large pediatric hospital. Methods Patients undergoing elective gen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatric anesthesia 2018-02, Vol.28 (2), p.149-156
Main Authors: Perrott, Claire, Lee, Clover‐Ann, Griffiths, Sian, Sury, Michael R. J., Cravero, Dr Joseph
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Anesthesia
anesthesia recovery period
Anesthesia, General - psychology
anxiety
Anxiety - epidemiology
Anxiety - psychology
Child
Child, Preschool
feedback
Female
Humans
Infant
Male
Pain
Parents
Parents & parenting
Pediatrics
Perioperative Period
postoperative
Postoperative Complications - epidemiology
Postoperative Complications - psychology
Questionnaires
Surveys and Questionnaires
United Kingdom - epidemiology
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Summary:Summary Background The Sprint National Anaesthesia Project reported feedback from adults but not from children. We developed questionnaires for children and parents, and conducted a survey of perioperative anesthetic experiences in a large pediatric hospital. Methods Patients undergoing elective general anesthesia were selected randomly each weekday over 10 weeks. Parents and children were approached within 4 hours after awakening, and were asked to complete a short questionnaire. Personal or patient identifiable data were not collected. Questionnaires were processed by optical mark reading technology and descriptive data analysis was performed. Results Seven hundred and forty parents and 250 children completed questionnaires. The most common symptoms reported by parents were thirst and hunger (76%), drowsiness (75%), sore throat (41%), and pain of the surgery (38%). Sixty‐four percent of children felt worried or scared about something before the procedure: common worries were about the “anesthetic,” “procedure,” or “needles/cannula.” Fifty‐five percent reported postoperative pain. Thirty‐nine children (15.6%) remembered something between going to sleep and waking up although distress was not reported; of these, the most common experiences remembered included hearing voices (34%), feeling sore (20%), and being worried (14%). Twenty‐two parents (2.9%) had any complaint and most were about fasting instructions. Only 3 parents would not recommend the anesthetic service. Conclusion This study shows that the experiences of children and their parents are similar to those of adults reported by the Sprint National Anaesthesia Project. Thirst (and hunger), anxiety, and pain continue to be common problems for many children. This feedback may help direct interventions and research to improve the pediatric patient and parent experience with anesthesia.
ISSN:1155-5645
1460-9592
DOI:10.1111/pan.13300